CNN’s Anderson Cooper noted the death of a Fox News video journalist killed in Ukraine, and referred to him as a “colleague.”
Cooper, who has been reporting from Ukraine for two weeks, apparently left the rivalry between CNN and Fox News in the U.S.
Reporting from the same war zone as two journalists who were killed by Russian troops this week, the AC360 host honored Fox’s Pierre Zakrzewski.
“As if a reminder was needed of the danger to civilians, we learned today of the death of another colleague here,” Cooper said. “Fox News photojournalist Pierre Zakrzewski. He was with correspondent Benjamin Hall just outside Kyiv when, according to Fox, their vehicle was hit by incoming fire.”
Cooper noted Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshynova was also killed Monday during the same attack that wounded Hall and killed Zakrzewski.
“This comes days just after documentary filmmaker Brett Renaud was killed in Irpin,” he said of the late journalist.
CNN chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward then shared her personal experience working with Zakrzewski while she was with Fox News.
“First of all, I wanted to ask you about you friend Pierre,” Cooper said to Ward. “I’m sorry for your loss. What was he like?”
Ward fondly remembered Zakrzewski as a talented and gracious journalist who was committed to telling stories.
“Anderson, every death in a war zone is a tragedy, but this one definitely hit really close to home,” Ward said. “I first worked with Pierre in Gaza in 2006. I was a puppy, a very young producer. And he’s one of the most extraordinarily kind, generous, talented, gracious people you could ever imagine working with.”
Ward called Zakrzewski “the real deal.”
“He cared so much about these stories,” she said. “Every war zone you went to, Pierre was there. This was his life. This was his passion. He was dedicated to it.”
“It is a devastating loss,” Ward concluded.
Ward also honored 24-year-old Kuvshynova, whom she and Cooper both honored for her bravery.
Watch above, via CNN.
